24 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Some cheaper forms are sold, or a pair of ordinary pliers may be used, 

 specially if beveled on one side by grinding. One or more small blocks 

 covered with cork will be found exceedingly convenient for the temporary 

 reception of pinned specimens. A small pocket lens or magnifier is 

 another valuable aid, even in the h mds of the amateur, because when 



collecting in the field or arrang- 

 ing specimens, there is always 

 some form or structure worthy 

 of examination, and if attention 

 is paid to any of the smaller in- 

 ^ ,, ^ , , ... sects a lens is a necessity. Very 



Fig. 29 Pocket lens (original). •' -' 



good pocket magnifiers may be 

 bought at from $.65 to $5. One of the cheaper folding forms with 

 two lenses will be of great service, and is in most cases the best for a 

 beginner. Later a Coddington lens or an achromatic triplet may be 

 purchased and employed for the more detailed examinations, but the 

 cheap lens will also be used to a great extent. 



Shipping insects. Though many insects are fragile they may be 

 sent through the mails or by express without serious injury, by taking a 

 few necessary precautions. Be sure the package is done up strongly. 

 Lots of insects are received frequently in a dilapidated condition because 

 a poor box was used. Pack insects only in very stout pasteboard boxes, 

 or in light wooden or tin boxes. If pinned specimens are to be sent, 

 they should be put in a small box, the pins firmly set with forceps and 

 the box placed in a larger one, the space between the two being packed 

 firmly with some elastic material. This latter is to lessen the jar and is 

 effective only when not packed so tightly as to destroy its elasticity, and 

 to be of service must be on all sides of the smaller box. Unmounted 

 dead material can be sent safely done up in cotton batting and thin 

 paper. First lay a little batting in the bottom and along the sides of the 

 box, then a sheet of soft paper and put on it, separated slightly from 

 each other, a number of insects, preferably those about the same size, 

 cover with the same paper, lay in more cotton batting and thus fill the 

 the box, taking care to put enough batting on top so that a slight pres- 

 sure will be necessary to close the box. This will prevent the insects from 

 shaking about and injuring each other. 



Living caterpillars or other soft forms should be sent through the 

 mails with a little of their food plant whenever practicable. There is no 

 necessity of providing breathing holes, on the contrary larvae stand the 

 journey better in a tight box which will not permit drying of the food 



